An estimated 600 Confederate and Union troops skirmished at Woodall's Bridge on April 7, 1864, for control of crucial troop movements south of the Tennessee River during the Federal occupation of North Alabama. Confederate Brigadier General James Holt Clanton led forces based in Danville against Federal cavalry from the garrison at Decatur for control of the bridge, which was the primary route for east-west movement in Morgan County after an important river bridge at Decatur was burned two years earlier. Troops needed access to Woodall's Bridge to move across the county and defend their picket positions. Confederate strength was initially 40 men, with another 200 becoming engaged, while Union forces were estimated at 350 men. After the skirmish, the Confederates chased the Union cavalry back to Decatur. The next day, smaller cavalry units of both forces skirmished there again, with the Confederates again chasing the Union forces back toward Decatur.